


The Little Prince

by Eliizabethx



Series: Once Upon A Descendant [3]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Pre-Season/Series 01, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26118745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliizabethx/pseuds/Eliizabethx
Summary: Regina fills the hole in her heart with another child, and it seems to be just what was needed for her family, bringing her and her daughter closer.Evie is excited from the instant her mother tells her of her intent, and from the very moment she meets him, she knows he's exactly what's been missing from their lives.
Relationships: Evie (Disney) & Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Evie (Disney) & Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills
Series: Once Upon A Descendant [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884943
Comments: 10
Kudos: 16





	The Little Prince

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnnaJustine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaJustine/gifts).



**~ Regina**

“Evie,” she called out, shutting the front door behind them as she carefully toed her shoes off. “I’m back!”

She headed towards the kitchen, cooing down at little Henry ( _her son_ ) as she sat his carrier on the counter, sitting the bag the agency had provided her with next to him.

She heard quick steps on the stairs and didn’t bother restraining the wide smile stretching across her face. She just _knew_ that this was going to be exactly what they needed, that _Henry_ was what they needed - what they were missing.

“How did it go? What did they say?” Evie was asking, not even in the same room yet, but the clear excitement in her voice made Regina feel happy and _light_. “Did you-”

Her eager questions cut off as soon as she steps into the kitchen and sees Regina standing in front of the baby.

“ _Oh,_ ” she breathes, her face lighting up brilliantly as she looks back and forth between her and Henry.

Regina meets her smile with one of her own, realizing she genuinely can’t remember the last time she’d seen Evie this happy.

“Henry,” Regina coos, turning the carrier just slightly towards her daughter as she steps up beside her. “Meet your big sister, Evie.”

Henry blinks up at them both, making gurgling baby noises as he kicks his legs.

“Oh, you are a beautiful little thing, aren’t you?” Evie coos, reaching out and letting Henry grasp one of her fingers. “You look like a little prince. Yes, you do! You’re going to be so dashing and wonderful, isn’t that right, Henry?”

Her smile softens into a more fond expression as she watches her bright, beautiful daughter talk to Henry.

“We’re going to take such good care of you, yes we are,” Evie promises, leaning in to kiss Henry’s forehead as he coos back at her, trying to reach out and grasp onto her long hair as it falls towards his face. “You’re going to have the best mommy in the whole world, and the best big sister and everyone's just going to _adore_ you.”

She can’t restrain the few tears that slip down her face, feeling indescribably grateful in this perfect moment, listening to her daughter’s promises and swearing to herself that she’ll make all of them true.

Evie turns back to catch her eyes, her own smile softening sympathetically, and she steps away from Henry to slip her arms around Regina’s waist.

“I love you, Mom,” Evie says, hugging her tightly and resting her head on Regina’s shoulder. "This is going to be such a good, _wonderful_ thing."

“I love you too darling,” she says, kissing her temple as she watches Henry watch them.

**~ Evie**

Little Henry is the best thing that’s happened in their lives for a long time, and Evie finds herself enchanted every time she looks at him.

She holds him and rocks him, reads him stories and sings him songs, almost fills an entire sketchbook just with designs for onesies and other baby clothes.

Her mother seems to struggle.

Evie knows she's trying her best, but admittedly it _has_ been quite some time since she herself was as young as Henry, who seems to fuss near constantly.

Most noticeably with her mother, who Evie can see is taking it personally and wondering what she’s doing wrong. She even takes him to the hospital once, to have Dr. Whale check him over. She’s very dejected that night and Evie is positive something else had happened at the appointment, besides Dr. Whale telling her Henry was perfectly healthy.

Evie purchases a few books from the store the next day on infants and parenting, and even one on adopted children, practically devouring the first before she’s even made it back home.

Her mother comes home from work the next day to find her in a sleeveless dress (somewhat impractical for their drizzly almost-autumn weather), cradling Henry over her heart and gently rocking them back and forth in the living room.

“What on earth are you doing?” Her mother asks in confusion. “I hope you haven’t been outside in that dress, you’ll catch a cold.”

“I was reading this one book on infant and newborn care,” she starts to explain, rubbing Henry’s back as he fidgets a bit restlessly upon hearing their mother’s voice. “And it explained that skin-to-skin contact can be very important for babies, because it helps them bond with their caregivers, and associate them with comfort and safety. Especially if the baby isn’t breastfed, since that’s when they naturally get a lot of the contact.”

“Is that so?” Regina asks, sounding cautiously intrigued as she puts her things away.

“Mmhm, and it mentioned that listening to heartbeats can help soothe them. Henry was getting a bit fussy earlier, so I thought I would try it,” she mentioned casually, knowing that would catch her mother’s attention in particular. “The book said a lot of people set aside some time each night, before the baby goes to bed, to just hold them to their skin or over their heart.”

The part about Henry fussing was a bit of a lie, but she knew her mother felt awful every time she was unable to soothe Henry, and Evie thought it would make her feel better if she thought he fussed with other people too.

Evie actually still hadn’t experienced the unexplainable crying her mother was subjected to, as Henry had only cried around her when he actually seemed to need something - a new diaper, or food, or burping.

The lie did seem to ease some of her mother’s tension, thankfully, and after a moment she decisively removed her silky button up so that she was left in a soft camisole. Evie passed Henry to her and she was thrilled to see him settle after only a moment of adjustment, not making a single sound even close to a cry as their mother gently laid him over her heart.

Regina settled carefully on the couch, rubbing his back and humming quietly under her breath. Evie watched as Henry quickly drifted off for a nap, looking content, and she shared a pleased smile with her mother before quietly retreating to her bedroom.

She can’t help a brief pang of sadness as she suddenly thinks of Henry Sr., imaging how thrilled her grandfather would have been to meet his youngest grandchild.

She still misses her doting grandfather terribly, despite the number of years he’s been gone, and wishes Henry had been able to meet his namesake.

A few days go by and Henry still cries unexplainably, though without fail Evie finds her mother in his nursery every night; cradling him against her heart in the rocking chair as they gently rock back and forth.

There's an odd shift in things when Evie gets home from school one day to find her mother cradling him on the couch with a conflicted, devastated expression.

“Mom?” She calls her attention, sitting down next to her. “Is something wrong?”

“I got Henry to stop crying,” she says instead of answering, looking down at Henry with something like heartbreak, before quickly shuttering the expression away behind something more controlled.

“That’s wonderful,” Evie says brightly, still trying to figure out what’s going on. “Maybe we just had to prove ourselves to our little prince.”

She reaches out and brushes a gentle touch across Henry’s brow, watching his nose crinkle up before his expression smoothes out as he catches one of her fingers.

“It seems that way, yes,” Regina agrees quietly, passing him to her after a few minutes. “I’m going to start making dinner.”

She keeps a close eye on her mother for the rest of the night, but can’t seem to catch on to the reason for her mood, other than it obviously having to do with Henry.

The next day she comes home to find her in much higher spirits though, baffling Evie a bit.

She finds her mother slowly dancing to soft music in the kitchen with Henry held securely in the crook of her arm, and what smells like an apple pie baking in the oven.

“What’s the occasion?” She asks, smiling happily as Regina sways close to let Evie swoop down and kiss Henry’s forehead, drawing an excited sounding gurgle from the baby.

“Henry,” her mother says easily. “We never really celebrated, and I think it’s finally sunk in that he’s ours - that he’s _home._ ”

She smiles again at the soft, besotted look on her mother’s face as she carefully spins them around as the sound of a piano crescendos in the background.

“Home,” she agrees happily, laughing giddily as Regina settles Henry in his countertop bassinet and then spins her into a dance in his place, Evie easily finding the steps and quickly leading her mother in a dance she can’t even remember learning.

She thinks it’s one of the best nights her family has had in a long, long time.

And if it still feels like there are missing spaces in their home - their family, Evie assumes it’s her grandfather’s absence, who’s happy laughter Evie can easily imagine ringing out alongside the music.

That night she has difficulty sleeping and when she finds herself in Henry’s nursery, the little one is already awake and staring up at the gently spinning mobile above his crib.

She folds her arms across the rails and settles her chin on them, watching him for a bit and smiling every time he reaches his hand out, trying to grasp hold of one of the spinning stars.

“I love you, Henry,” she whispers, reaching down to let him grasp her finger instead and starts gently running her thumb over his tiny knuckles. “You’re just what this family needed, you know?”

She carefully lifts him from the crib, settling him in her arms and smiling in amusement when he latches on to her braid and shoves the tail in his mouth.

"You’re going to be what changes things around here, I just know it,” she confides, kissing his forehead as she sways in place. “I’ll be a good big sister, I promise. I’ll read you stories and sneak you sweets, and I’ll make sure you’re the best dressed little prince in the whole town.”

She sighs quietly, smiling as his eyes slip shut and she settles him back in his bed.

“Our little castle here can be lonely sometimes, but I promise I’ll always be here for you,” she whispers finally. “Sweet dreams, Henry.”

She quietly heads back to her room, eventually finding sleep as she tries to imagine their family’s new future.

**Author's Note:**

> Literally JUST finished writing this, but it's something I've been craving for awhile. I needed me some Mills family fluff.  
> I don't know how great the editing is, since it's like half past midnight lmao, but I really wanted to get it posted now (so I'll look at it again in the morning just in case lol).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a comment, I always reply and they make my week! ^^  
> You can find me on tumblr at [ElvhenWitch](http://www.elvhenwitch.tumblr.com) ♥ and twitter at [Elfbich](https://twitter.com/elfbich)


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